Cartridge link



Nov. 22, 1949 A. F. GAIDOS 2,483,531

CARTRIDGE LINK Filed July 10, 1946 vucntov Almnzm F. [5111:1051

Patented Nov. 22, 1949 CARTRIDGE LINK Alonzo F. Gaidos, Redwood City, Calif., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of War Application July 10, 1946, Serial No. 682,522

2 Claims. (CI. 89-35) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in metallic ammunition belts and its principal object is to provide a metallic cartridge belt or strip of the disintegrating link type adapted for feeding cartridges into a position to be loaded into the chamber of a gun barrel.

A belt of the disintegrating metallic link type is built up from a number of separate and similarly constructed links which are held together by the cartridges when the belt is in use and the arrangement is such that when a round is fed into the gun, the link holding that round falls apart from the remainder of the belt.

Each link in this type of belt consists of three loops, two of which are axially aligned with each other, and are adapted to hold a single round of ammunition in place. The third loop part of the link is parallel to the first two loop parts, but displaced to one side so that it may be inserted between, and in axial alignment with, the two axially-aligned 100p parts of an adjacent similar link.

Thus, a cartridge passing through the three aligned loops holds the two adjacent links together and the same arrangement is repeated an indefinite number of times.

It is obviously necessary, in automatic guns of the type with which we are here concerned to pass the belt through the gun in a plane other than the plane of the barrel chamber and breech bolt in order to permit the latter to move into battery position. It is also essential that the linked cartridges be positioned properly with respect to the bore of the barrel and that the link arrangement be such that the links do not jam.

Accordingly, this invention is directed to a novel construction wherein the arrangement and combination of elements is calculated to accomplish all of these purposes.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of the link device of the invention with assembled cartridges shown in dot-dash lines;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a link device embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified form of the invention on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view showing the form shown in section in Fig. 4.

The device includes what may be called a main member 2 consisting of a double-loop part and an auxiliary member l consisting of a single loop part. The main member includes forward and rear loops 6 spaced apart and adapted to embrace a cartridge indicated in the drawings by C, over more than half its circumference, while the single loop 4 which comprises the auxiliary member is adapted to embrace the next adjacent cartridge in the belt, likewise over more than half its circumference.

The portions 6 of the main member are spaced apart sufficiently to receive the single portion 4 of an adjacent link between them in the usual way. Also, as is conventional, the portions 6 of each link are connected together by an integral intermediate portion 8 of a width such that the cartridges C will be equally spaced apart the required amount. The single loop 4 extends radially away from the portion 8 with the aligned axis of the loops 6 parallel with the axis of loop 4.

Secured in some suitable manner, as by riveting, to the main member of each link is a longitudinally extending positioning bar member II) which may take various forms but is, of course, preferably metallic in nature. This bar or tab member [0 consists of a strip which is adapted to extend beyond the forward marginal edge of the forward loop.

The forward or projecting end portion is preferably formed to have a lip part I 2 which inclines slightly downwardly and forwardly as shown for resiliently engaging the upper side of the shoulder or so-called shoulder cone of the cartridge C. The result is a link belt having suitable flexibility and readily disintegratable links capable of properly positioning the cartridges.

In the preferred form of the invention, the bar is secured to both the forward and rear loops of the main member, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. However, it is obvious that the method of securement may be varied as in Figs. 4 and 5, where a modification is shown.

The single loop is shown at 4' and the double loop member 2 includes spaced loops 8'. The connection therebetween is shown at 8' while the positioning or locating tab I0 is secured only to the rear loop 6' but, of course, it extends or projects beyond the forward marginal edge of the forward loop in order to engage and position the cartridge C as above described.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, the invention permits of various modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim': 7 v

1. The improvement in a metallic cartridge belt of the disintegrating link type of, a pair of axially aligned spaced 100p parts constituting a main member, a single loop part constituting an 7 auxiliary member, the latter having its axis parallel to but spaced radially from the axis=ei said spaced loop parts and being -co'nnected to said 7 main member but extending radially away therefrom intermediate said spaced loop parts thereof, and a positioning tab member secured to said main member whereby said tab member ean rigidly hold in alignment said spaced loop parts so that a cartridge may be easily-extracted therefrom rearwardly or forwardly and said tab member projecting from the upper side thereof beyond "the forward marginal "edge of the forward loop part thereof so as to be capable of resiliently engaging the upp'ersid'e of the shoulder of a cartridge in the belt.

"2. The im-provementin a metallic'cartridgebelt "of the disintegrating link type'o ffa pair of axially "aligned spaced lo'op p'arts constituting a main member, a single loop part constituting an auxiliary member, the latter having its axis parallel to but spaced radially from the axis of said spaced loop parts, said single loop part being connected to the adjacent sides of said spaced loop parts and-extending radially away therefrom, a longitudinally-extending positioning tab member secured to the upper sides of both of said spaced loop parts whereby said tab member may rigidly hold in alignment said spaced loop parts so that g a cartridge may be easily extracted therefrom rearwardly or aorwardly, and said tab member REFERENCES CITED The liollowingreierences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 'Date 2;0'2'2,'685 iMoore Dec. '3, .1935 12173337 Gortoni. Sept. 26, 19319 2,317,973 Ballei's'en May 4, 1943 

